Like any sport, triathlon has its own language and if you don’t know it, conversing with a seasoned triathlete can be a bit confusing. Not to worry though, Enduranerd is here to help!
Below are some of the more common terms:
70.3: Distance in miles of a half distance triathlon
* Note: 70.3™ as it pertains to triathlon is trademarked by the World Triathlon Corporation©
140.6: Distance in miles of a full distance triathlon
AG: Age Group
Aid Station: Locations that are spaced throughout the bike and run sections where participants can receive fuel, hydration and first aid
AT: Anaerobic Threshold
Beach Start: Participants start on the beach and run into the water
Body Marking: Race numbers written on the arms and legs of triathlon participants
Bonk: Also called “hitting the wall”. Occurs when the glycogen stores in the body are empty and the athlete suffers extreme fatigue and the body essentially shuts down
Brick: A workout that consists of running directly after cycling
Buoy: Large orange cones that mark the swim course
Catch: A swimming term that refers to the arm position once it enters the water to ‘grab’ as much water as possible.
Chamois: The pad in bike or triathlon shorts
Chip: An electronic chip that tracks the athlete throughout the race
Chip Time: The time from when an athlete begins their race to the time they finish
Change Tent: Location in Ironman® events where competitors can change clothes in
Chop: Refers to rough water conditions
Chute: Sometimes called the “finishing chute”. This is the area directly after the end of the race that athletes funnel into
Deck: The area around a swimming pool
Draft: To swim, bike or run behind another person to save energy
Draft Legal: A triathlon that allows participants to draft on the bike portion of the event
Dropped: If a rider cannot keep up with a group of riders and has been left behind, they have been “dropped”
DNF: Did Not Finish
DNS: Did Not Start
DQ: Disqualified
Dryland: A swimming term that infers ‘Dryland Training.’ Refers to any type of strength training or form-based drills performed out of the water
Duathlon: Multisport event that is similar to a triathlon but the legs are – Run, Bike, Run
Fartlek: Type of running workout that integrates random speed changes. It’s a Swedish word meaning “Speed Play”
Floating Start: Competitors start in the water without their feet touching the ground
Full: Full distance triathlon
Gait: Denotes the form of a runner and in particular, the legs
Gun Time: The time from the start of a race to the time an individual finishes
Half: Half distance triathlon
HR: Heart rate
HRM: Heart rate monitor
IM: Ironman®
Kick (Running): Used to describe the sprint to the finish line
LT: Lactate Threshold
Marshall: Individuals on the course to ensure the safety of the participants as well as to ensure all participants follow the rules
Mat: Refers to timing mats that record the time of competitors in the transition areas as well as the three-sport sections. The mats “read” the chip attached to each participant
Mechanical: Used to denote a problem with the bicycle (i.e. flat tire)
MDot: Trademarked logo of Ironman
No Drop Ride: A bike ride that will not leave any rider behind
Oly: Used to denote an Olympic distance triathlon
OWS: Open Water Swim – Pertains to swimming outside of a pool environment
Paceline: A formation of a line of cyclists used to save energy by drafting
Pack: Group of runners, cyclists or swimmers
Peloton: A pack of cyclists
Pick Ups: Short bursts of speed or accelerations during a run
Plyos: Short for “Plyometrics”, meaning explosive, jumping style movements. Meant to build power
PR: Personal Record (i.e. best time at a specific distance event)
RPM: Revolutions Per Minute (cycling)
SBR: Swim, Bike, Run
Sin Bin: These are penalty areas (tents) where competitors are stopped for a set amount of time if they were caught committing a penalty on the cycling course (i.e. illegal drafting)
Spin: Easy bike ride, or pedal fast in a low gear
Sprint: Sprint distance triathlon
SR: Stroke Rate (swimming)
Strides: Short sprints often done prior to, or after a run
T1: Transition One
T2: Transition Two
T-Pace: Swimming term that refers to ‘Threshold Pace’
Trainer: Commonly used to denote an apparatus that allows an individual to ride their bike inside
VO2: Commonly refers to the “VO2 Max Test or one’s aerobic capacity based on the test
VT: Ventilatory Threshold
Watts: Refers to power output when cycling
Wave: Groups of triathletes starting the swim at the same time. Typically grouped by AG’s.
Wetsuit Stripper: Person at the end of the swim to help competitors get out of their wetsuits
And there you go… now you’re ready to engage in some tri talk!
